Celebrating mexico through the arts (2)

Celebrating Mexico Through the Arts

Tammie Jacob

Teaching Critical Thinking Strategies in the Classroom Through Aesthetic Experiences

Unit Objectives

The students will: Look at art collections from the Minneapolis Institute of Art that display

Mexico’s Heritage. Take a virtual trip to Mexico (using YouTube video of Mexico City, photos of

the beach from mexperience.com and photos of markets from bing photo gallery) from which they will dictate or write a travel booklet highlighting their favorite part of the trip.

Discuss musical instruments of Mexico and make rain sticks and maracas. Learn about clothing of Mexico and make construction paper sombreros

and serapes using white butcher paper. Learn some basic Spanish words and numbers through reading/listening to

stories about Mexico. Learn the Mexican Hat Dance also named “La Raspa.” Learn about the celebration “Cinco de Mayo” and we will create/reenact a

“Cinco De Mayo” celebration. We will make cheese quesadillas, wear our costumes as we dance the Mexican Hat Dance.

Click on this link to get to my online presentation. Once there, click on “Present Set.” http://www.artsconnected.org/resource/122048/mexico-2

Day 1

Make a K-W-L chart activating student’s prior knowledge of Mexico.

Have children choose a Spanish name as teacher gives choices aloud for the duration of the unit to decorate on little sombrero name cards

Read and discuss Off We Go to Mexico

Pretend trip to Mexico ( I line the chairs up like an airplane and we pretend to fly to Mexico)

Mexican Symbols

The white sombrero is one the students will decorate with their Spanish name on it. Children choose their own name from a verbal list and they are name tags during the unit.

Day 2

Read story Mexico ABC’s: People and Places of Mexico

Discuss story Go to the beach, the market, and the big city

of Mexico City After visiting the beach, make rain sticks using

paper towel tubes, rice, and colored masking tape.

Make travel booklets sharing the student’s favorite landmark that was visited. Make Mexican flags out of paper and construction paper.

A Trip to Mexico City

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwbVryvVpE4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x65GM2yg6MQ

Mexican Flags

After visiting Mexico City, students will make a Mexican Flag.

Mexican Beach of Huatulco

Taken from www,mexperience.com/inmexico/photos/9 huatulco.htm

Beach continued

Taken from www,mexperience.com/inmexico/photos/9 huatulco.htm

Rain Sticks

Paper towel tubes are decorated with colored masking tape and filled with rice to complete the rain stick.

Mexican Markets

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Mexican+Market+pics&FORM=IGRE&qpvt=Mexican+Market+pics#

Mexican Markets Continued

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Mexican+Market+pics&FORM=IGRE&qpvt=Mexican+Market+pics#

Travel Booklets

After visiting Mexico City, the beach and the market, students choose favorite landmark to write about.

Day 3

Read the story What Color Is It? Que color este es?

Teach children colors and numbers in Spanish Complete Spanish colors book Using Spanish numbers, count to 10 by

putting beans into plastic cups. Do this procedure three times. Tape two plastic cups together and tape in the center. Decorate the plastic cups using Sharpie permanent markers in a variety of colors to make the maracas.

Spanish Color Book and Marracas

Day 4

Read Look What Came From Mexico. Discuss clothing of Mexico Make sombreros out of construction

paper Make serapes out of white butcher

paper Teach students the Mexican Hat

Dance

Sombreros and Serapes

Students are taught the steps for the Mexican Hat Dance and will wear their costumes during the Cinco De Mayo Celebration.

Day 5

Read Cinco De Mayo Make cheese quesadillas or tacos in

a bag Re-enact “Cinco De Mayo”

celebration Wear costumes and dance the

Mexican Hat Dance

TOPIC 2 Novice 1 Partially Proficient 2

Proficient 3

Advanced 4

Total

Participated in class discussions

Demonstrated early Kindergarten writing skills.

Took part in classroom “Cinco De Mayo” celebration

Created sombreros and serapes

Create rain sticks and maracas

Assessment Rubric

Resources

Art Connect. (2010, July 16). Retrieved July 26, 2010, from Minnesota Institute of Art: http://www.artsconnected.org/resource/122069/mexico-2

  Ash1210. (2006, October 14). Mexico City. Retrieved August 2, 2010, from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwbVryvVpE4  Dictionaries, E. o. (2001). What Color is It? Que Color Es Este? In E. o. Dictionaries, What Color is It? Que Color Es Este? (p. 4).

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.  Eastman, P. (1982). Perro Grande, Perro Pequeno, Big Dog Little Dog. In P. Eastman, Perro Grande, Perro Pequeno, Big Dog Little Dog

(p. 32). Random House.  Harvey, M. (1999). Look What Came From Mexico. In M. Harvey, Look What Came From Mexico (p. 32). Conneticut: Children's Press.  Heiman, S. (2004). Mexico ABC's: A Book About the People and Places of Mexico. In S. Heiman, Mexico ABC's: A Book About the People

and Places of Mexico (p. 32). Picture Window Books.  Hill, S. (1999). Celebrating Cinco De Mayo: Fiesta Time. In S. Hill, Celebrating Cinco De Mayo: Fiesta Time (p. 16). Creative Teaching

Press.  Krebs, L. (2008). Off We Go To Mexico. In L. Krebs, Off We Go To Mexico (p. 32). Houston: Barefoot Books.  Mary, W., & Vargas, N. (2003). Cinco De Mayo. In M. Wade, & N. Vargas, Cinco De Mayo (p. 32). Conneticut: Children's Press.  Mexperience. (2002). Retrieved August 2, 2010, from Photo Gallery of Huatulco:

http://www.mexperience.com/inmexico/photos/9huatulco.htm  Moore, D. (2005, December 17). Mexican Market pics. Retrieved August 2, 2010, from wikepedia:

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=mexican+markets+pics&FORM=IGRE&qpvt=mexican+markets+pics#

 Ual602. (2010,June 29).Take Off From Mexico City. Retrieved August 4, 2010, from YouTube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x65GM2yg6MQ

Slideshare. http://www.slideshare.net/

Reflection

This project incorporates many different learning styles and allows students many hands-on experiences which is vital in the kindergarten classroom. Art allows students to be successful no matter what level they are at, it allows them to express themselves and it encourages creativity.